The Farm Project / August 18, 2023 by Jessica Marteinson

In support of the Children's Center, PEMU acquired 3 hectares of land within the village to grow crops with the intent of becoming a fully self-sustaining operation.

The PEMU team walk alongside the maize crops growing on their plot of land.

The main crops grown this year were corn and beans, key components of the children's daily diet, and there are plans to add others like cassava and sweet potato.

The beans were the first to be ready and a few harvests have been made, each yielding 10-20 kg. 4kg/day are used to feed the children.

The first corn harvest took place at the end of July and resulted in enough grain to yield 650kg of corn meal, which when cooked into posho, a mixture with water that becomes dough-like, will feed the orphans for about 5 months. This helps lift a tremendous weight off Brian and his team.

Mary Kamega, the Center’s cook, prepares posho for the children’s lunch in the open air kitchen.

The meals prepared for the children are simple, but nutritious and filling, and always eagerly awaited and enjoyed.

Children at the Agape Children’s Center wait in line for lunch service.

Young children at Agape enjoy their lunch.

The team are now focused on preparing the land for the next planting season; the rains have already started.

Poverty Eradication Mission Uganda / August 11, 2023 by Jessica Marteinson

In June, I went to Jinga, Uganda on assignment for Photographers Without Borders to document the work of a local, grassroots organization, Poverty Eradication Mission Uganda (PEMU). There I met Kiirya Brian Waiswa, a young man who has dedicated his life to addressing poverty in his village, located just outside of Jinja along the shores of Lake Victoria.

Brian stands by the sign for the Agape Educational Center, which opened in February 2023 to provide education to the orphans under his care. — Brian poses by the sign for the educational center he opened in February 2023 to provide free education to the children in his care.

Based out of the small village of Musoli in the Mayuge District of Uganda, PEMU’s primary mission is to empower and elevate women and girls in Uganda through access, advocacy, empowerment and working with other developmental actors. Brian himself is close to his community, having been born and raised in Musoli by his grandmother, after losing both of his parents. It was from his grandmother’s struggles with poverty, and the additional barriers she faced due to her gender, that he developed a strong desire to help vulnerable women and girls.

Brian’s primary project at present is the Agape Children’s Home and Educational Center, and the 107 children under his care. This is where much of my assignment took place. The Agape Children’s home opened in August of 2022, a years-long project that finally came to fruition. Previously, the children lived with foster families within the community, supported by PEMU.

In February of this year, the Educational Center opened, which allowed Brian to provide education to the children, eliminating the costs associated to sending them to school locally. Despite the intent of the Ugandan government to provide free primary education to all children, there are still costs that many families cannot afford including school fees, uniforms, and supplies. This disproportionately affects girls, whose school attendance tends to be lower than boys.

Brian has a clear vision for the future of his organization and community. There is constant need and he has plans to continue developing the property, which will enable him to accommodate more children, including local children who aren’t currently in school. There are structures that need completing (currently the kitchen is without a roof) and space on the property to add new ones. To expand is also to invest in an electricity source, acquire a consistent source of school supplies, provide uniforms, and the list goes on.

Like many, Brian and PEMU were deeply impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Skills programs benefiting local women and other community-based activities were put on pause and have yet to resume, something that Brian is hoping will change soon. The vision is to provide women with skills and start-up capital that will generate enough income for their families and allow them to break away from the local industries, thereby permitting their children to attend school. A vocational program also creates an option for graduates of the Agape Educational Centre to learn skills for a better future.

Despite the many challenges Brian faces, he remains undeterred in his mission. With all he wants to accomplish, Brian hopes to secure additional and more consistent funding. A fundraiser in support of PEMU and the children is currently underway, with a goal of raising $2,000. If you’d like to contribute to a valuable cause, and make an impact on the lives of young Ugandan’s, please visit Support Poverty Eradication Mission Uganda

Clean Cookstove Project / January 18, 2020 by Jessica Marteinson

When we arrived in the Maasai village, we were taken to a traditional boma (homestead) with an open-fire stove and welcomed inside. The air was thick with smoke and it immediately overwhelmed us. Our guide suggested we crouch closer to the ground, where it would be easier to breath but it didn’t really help. One member of our group had to step outside.

This small, circular hut houses an entire family; it’s where they eat and sleep. It was hard to imagine how anyone could spend a minute in there, let alone day in, day out, over a lifetime.

The indoor smoke from open-fire stoves is a major global heath risk, causing cancer, emphysema, pneumonia, burns and blindness. 4 million people die each year due to exposure to cookstove smoke.

In Tanzania, 95% of people rely on cooking with wood and coal. As women are the primary homemakers, spending time indoors cooking meals for their families, they are disproportionately impacted by the exposure.

The Clean Cookstove Project works to replace hazardous open-fire stoves with clean-burning ones. Teams of all-women engineers install the smoke-removing and efficient wood burning chimney stoves, removing 90% of the indoor smoke pollution.

During our visit to the Maasai village in the Monduli District of Tanzania, I was able to witness the benefits of the project.

After the boma with an open-fire stove, we were invited into one with a new clean-burning one. The difference was immediately apparent and the benefits of the project couldn’t have been made any clearer to us. The air was breathable and our eyes stopped watering.

Engineers work on the installation of a new clean-burning stove.

We then observed the project engineers in action, as they built a stove in a neighboring boma. Built primarily with bricks and clay mortar, the design allows smoke escape through the roof. A basic and simple design, with tremendously beneficial impacts for families.

There were a couple of things that struck me most about this visit.

One was how a major heath issue could be tackled with a relatively simple, affordable solution, debunking any notion that it takes major funds or ideas to solve the world’s problems.

Second, that local, grassroots efforts are truly critical in bringing these solutions to life. For these projects to be successful, they must be framed within local cultural norms and traditional beliefs and practices. Applying a Western approach without considering local realities doesn’t work.

In this case, the Maasai are able to continue living a traditional way of life while realizing significant health benefits through the improved air quality within the boma.

During our visit, we witnessed the birth of a baby goat. Livestock, including goats, are a primary source of income for the Maasai people

For more information, visit the following sites:

https://planeterra.org/what-we-do/our-projects/maasai-clean-cookstoves-tour/

https://boblange.wpengine.com/about-us/

Photographs taken in the Monduli District of Tanzania. September, 2016

Quiet Dignity / December 28, 2019 by Jessica Marteinson

“I loved shooting in Setrawa. I was taken in by the quiet dignity of these women, with all they endure. In Setrawa, many of the women seemed to be there just to be together, to support each other. I just wanted to try to capture that.”

Jessica Marteinson for Photographers Without Borders.

Taken in Setrawa, India. November 2018.

Traditional Textiles of Cusco / November 17, 2019 by Jessica Marteinson

In a similar vein to my previous post, I was on the hunt for some ethical souvenirs when I visited Cusco, Peru, last May.

I found exactly what I was looking for in The Centre for Traditional Textiles of Cusco, a local non-profit organization established to aid in the survival of Incan textile traditions and support local weaving communities.

A group of women weave together in The Centre for Traditional Textiles of Cusco.

With the rapid change and modernization of the last few decades, it was feared that the techniques and patterns of Cusquenan textiles would be lost in this generation. This prompted the founding of the Centre, which set about to research and document the complex styles, techniques and designs, as well as teach and encourage the younger generation to take up the craft.

An up-close view of the weaving technique and intricate patterns of Cusquenan textiles.

The Centre works with local weaving communities to help them keep their traditional alive as well as create a marketplace to sell their textiles. The activities the weavers are engaged in lead to significant improvements in quality of life, allowing them to provide for themselves and their families. The impact is important as the majority of the weavers are women, and they invest the independent income in their children’s health and education.

There were tons of souvenir shops in Cusco, but I chose to spend my money here knowing that it was going back to local communities, and helping to preserve important Inca culture. And it was clear that the quality of the products was far better than most of what was available elsewhere.

On one of our day trips we visited a textile store that demonstrated how the colours are achieved for traditional textiles. All derived from natural sources, it was amazing the see the range of colours that could be created. Understanding this was one way to distinguish between the authentic and synthetic goods in stores around town.

Taken in Cusco, Peru. May 2019.

Sambhali Boutique / November 17, 2019 by Jessica Marteinson

The Sambhali Boutique is something you won’t want to miss if you’re visiting Jodhpur, especially if you’re shopping for family and friends back home. Here you’ll find unique, handmade items, all in support of a great cause - women’s empowerment.

The Sambhali Boutique storefront in November, 2018. While it has since moved, it’s still located in Jodhpur’s city center.

The block-printed scarves, hand-made and embroidered toys, clothes, bags and accessories available in the shop all have been produced locally in the Sambhali Studio, staffed with graduates from the Sambhali Empowerment Centres. The Sambhali Studio currently employs 29 women.

The steady income the women earn allows them to provide for themselves and their children. Younger women are able to become more independent, deferring marriage and increasing the chance that they will experience greater equity with their future husbands. In a society where women face poverty, discrimination and violence, and where child marriage still regularly occurs, the Sambhali Studio provides a tremendous opportunity for women to take more control of their life and regain their sense of worth.

All items are tagged with the name of the woman who produced it, adding a personal touch.

The money you spend at the Sambhali Boutique goes directly to the women who work in the Studio and to Sambhali Trust. I’m always looking for opportunities when I travel to give back and this is one small way. And, you’ll come away with some absolutely beautiful items to help you remember your time in Jodhpur and India.

Educate a Woman... / October 27, 2019 by Jessica Marteinson

‘If you educate a man, you educate an individual. But if you educate a woman, you educate a nation.’ – African Proverb

A student becomes the teacher to a young girl who had accompanied her mother to the Laadli Empowerment Centre that day.

To learn more about @SambhaliTrust and how you can contribute, visit their website: www.sambhali-trust.org/

Taken in Jodhpur, India. November, 2018

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Setrawa's Sambhali Kids / October 27, 2019 by Jessica Marteinson

All throughout our visits to the Sambhali Trust Empowerment Centres, we met lots of kids. We were reminded that kids are kids, no matter where you go in the world - curious, playful and full of energy. While life around them is hard, due to the poverty and discrimination they face, the time spent at Sambhali provides respite and a opportunity to learn and play.

They were also keen to be photographed and know how to pose for the camera!